Most individuals surveyed who are regular media users have lots of friends, get along well with their parents, and are happy at school (Rideout, 2010). However, peer rejection and a lack of close friends are among the strongest predictors of depression and negative self-views (Hartup, 1996). People who are the heaviest media users report being less content and are more likely to report that they get into trouble a lot, are often sad or unhappy, and are often bored (Rideout, 2010).
In California, 21% of individuals surveyed were found to be at risk for depression (California Health Interview Survey, 2005).
In addition, 68% of girls nationally report having a negative experience on a social networking site (Girl Scout Study, 2011).
Some teens have reported that Facebook can incite fights, especially with the creation of “burn” pages created for the explicit purpose of taunting or teasing others (Boyar, 2010).
Cyber bullying Use of social media also creates an opportunity for emotional distress from receiving threatening, harassing, or humiliating communication from another teen, called cyber bullying.
In California, approximately 23% of teens report being threatened by a peer. Cyber bullying appears similar in prevalence to offline bullying.
Cyber bullying has been shown to cause higher levels of depression and anxiety for victims than traditional bullying and has also been connected to cases of youth suicide with teens known to engage in reading hurtful comments days before their suicide attempts (Kowalski, 2009).
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